Sunday, July 22, 2012

A
Denver woman who narrowly missed being caught in a deadly shooting in a Toronto
shopping mall was one of the victims of the carnage at a Denver-area movie
theater.

Jessica Ghawi, 24, was among 12 people killed when a gunman open fire in
a packed theater during the Thursday night screening of Dark Knight Rises in
Aurora, Colo.

Ghawi, who tweeted under the name Jessica Redfield, said in a blog that
she was "blessed" to have left the area moments before the June 2
incident at the Eaton Center while visiting Toronto.

Two gang members were killed and seven people injured in the incident
that was only the start of a summer of violence in the city once called “Toronto
the Good.”

In
the worst mass shooting in Toronto’s history, two people attending a
neighborhood barbecue were killed and 23 wounded in an exchange of gang-related
gunfire.

The attack in the east-end Scarborough community last Monday night was followed
by random gun killings in each of the next two days across the city.

Police, municipal, provincial and federal politicians as well as members
of the city’s “African-Canadian” community are planning to meet in the coming
week to review the incidents and discuss what more needs to be done.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Newly disclosed details indicate that Canada and the United States will
co-operate more closely on documenting and controlling the movement of people
across the world’s longest undefended border.

The initiatives are described in briefing notes on the Canada-U.S.
security agreement.

The
perimeter security plan aims to smooth the passage of people and goods across
the 49th parallel border while bolstering defenses.

One somewhat contentious goal is to keep track of everyone entering and
leaving each country and sharing those details.

This would entail an expanded exchange of simple biographic and
biometric data, which could include fingerprints.

Joining forces will also help to better deal with “irregular flows” of
refugees that turn up in North America or migrate within the continent.

Canada
is also preparing to require all travelers to present a secure document such as
a passport or enhanced driver’s license when entering the country, as is now
required for everyone entering the U.S.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

The resignation of federal politician Bev Oda in a spending scandal has
led to an unexpected Cabinet shuffle.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper replaced the embattled Oda, Canada’s first
Japanese-Canadian Member of Parliament, with Julian Fantino in her former post
as International Cooperation Minister.

Fantino,
now a politician and former Ontario Provincial Police commissioner, is
succeeded as Associate Minister of National Defense by Bernard Valcourt, who
also continues as Minister of State for Atlantic Canada and La Francophonie.

“These
changes to the ministry ensure continuity as we focus on creating jobs, growth
and long-term prosperity,” Harper said in a statement.

Oda’s
resignation followed intense pressure from politicians and the public for her
to quit after information was revealed about “excessive” spending.

Harper praised Oda’s accomplishments while she said it was a “privilege
to have served” in her Toronto-area Durham district. She did not say why she
was resigning.

Oda
billed the government for swanky hotel accommodations in London, hired a luxury
car and driver at $1,000 a day and even charged a $16 glass of orange juice. Reports
said she also modified expense statements from earlier trips.